Author: Chippewa Livingston
Archive: Please ask
Disclaimer: I claim no affiliation or ownership of characters or material related to Dark Angel.
8. Guardian Angel
It was obvious that he was tailing Asha. To me anyway. So I took the only logical course of action. I did nothing. I could have jumped into the conversation of people I'd never heard of, distract the others, but to anyone with sense that would be strange, suspicious even. So I sat and ate mechanically. Chew swallow. Chew swallow. Smile when the texture indicated curry- Mikah's own recipe- though I hardly tasted it.
It had nothing to do with my depressing bout of nostalgia, just biology. The five senses work together to form a map of the world for the brain. If one sensory organ is particularly active the data from the others fade like background noise. So things like room temperature and the mingled scents of the kitchen were below my notice. Enough of my attention was left over to keep my vision clear and all the rest was thrown in to listening. I was performing my duty as a soldier and that left no time for petty memories.
I could hear his movements in the hallway, barely. Much louder was the rise and fall of Asha's voice in nonsensical patterns. Words would be up to him. It was my job to make sure he had the opportunity to return safely with those words. The voice was many decibels louder than the movements and when he came back to the room I knew he hadn't been discovered. The room shifted back into focus.
In his hand was a thick slice of bread which he deposited on my plate. At some point I'd eaten most of the contents. "Here." Mikah smiled at the gesture and didn't stop her stream of words. "We have a guardian angel checking up on us."
Guardian angel or grim reaper? That was the real question. Asha returned a moment later, replacing her phone and taking up her fork. But the shift in atmosphere was palpable, Asha was ready to bring this little party to a close. Nathan and Mikah talked less and ate more, whether they new it or not, there world revolved around Asha.
When everyone was finished Asha waited a polite five minutes before announcing her need to leave. "Sure. You always have to go." Nathan said quietly.
Asha gave him a hard look and walked out the front door, phone pressed to her ear. If she really was a new enemy at least she had the courtesy to leave us some hostages. The SWAT team wouldn't sweep in on us while we were with Nathan and Mikah.
Mikah showed off a few of her sketches and some abstract stuff but the party atmosphere was officially dead. It let us leave quite early with ease and an awkward apology for Nathan. "Asha… she can really out the brakes on a good time."
We reassured him and said good- bye. When we were a block away Jack started in on the facts. "She's suspicious but doesn't know anything yet- except that we're not Feds. But she knows something about Manticore or at least knows someone who does."
"So what… we need to know if she's friend or foe."
"Either way we keep her close."
"And how do we manage that?"
"We start with a little reconnaissance. We have an unknown quantity." He rattled off an address. "But at least we know where it is."
Archive: Please ask
Disclaimer: I claim no affiliation or ownership of characters or material related to Dark Angel.
8. Guardian Angel
It was obvious that he was tailing Asha. To me anyway. So I took the only logical course of action. I did nothing. I could have jumped into the conversation of people I'd never heard of, distract the others, but to anyone with sense that would be strange, suspicious even. So I sat and ate mechanically. Chew swallow. Chew swallow. Smile when the texture indicated curry- Mikah's own recipe- though I hardly tasted it.
It had nothing to do with my depressing bout of nostalgia, just biology. The five senses work together to form a map of the world for the brain. If one sensory organ is particularly active the data from the others fade like background noise. So things like room temperature and the mingled scents of the kitchen were below my notice. Enough of my attention was left over to keep my vision clear and all the rest was thrown in to listening. I was performing my duty as a soldier and that left no time for petty memories.
I could hear his movements in the hallway, barely. Much louder was the rise and fall of Asha's voice in nonsensical patterns. Words would be up to him. It was my job to make sure he had the opportunity to return safely with those words. The voice was many decibels louder than the movements and when he came back to the room I knew he hadn't been discovered. The room shifted back into focus.
In his hand was a thick slice of bread which he deposited on my plate. At some point I'd eaten most of the contents. "Here." Mikah smiled at the gesture and didn't stop her stream of words. "We have a guardian angel checking up on us."
Guardian angel or grim reaper? That was the real question. Asha returned a moment later, replacing her phone and taking up her fork. But the shift in atmosphere was palpable, Asha was ready to bring this little party to a close. Nathan and Mikah talked less and ate more, whether they new it or not, there world revolved around Asha.
When everyone was finished Asha waited a polite five minutes before announcing her need to leave. "Sure. You always have to go." Nathan said quietly.
Asha gave him a hard look and walked out the front door, phone pressed to her ear. If she really was a new enemy at least she had the courtesy to leave us some hostages. The SWAT team wouldn't sweep in on us while we were with Nathan and Mikah.
Mikah showed off a few of her sketches and some abstract stuff but the party atmosphere was officially dead. It let us leave quite early with ease and an awkward apology for Nathan. "Asha… she can really out the brakes on a good time."
We reassured him and said good- bye. When we were a block away Jack started in on the facts. "She's suspicious but doesn't know anything yet- except that we're not Feds. But she knows something about Manticore or at least knows someone who does."
"So what… we need to know if she's friend or foe."
"Either way we keep her close."
"And how do we manage that?"
"We start with a little reconnaissance. We have an unknown quantity." He rattled off an address. "But at least we know where it is."